Clemson to play for soccer national championship after College Cup win over Notre Dame
In a tightly-contested College Cup matchup Friday between the Clemson Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a national championship appearance came down to penalty kicks.
The ACC foes were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, but Clemson came out on top thanks to a game-winning kick from senior defender Justin Malou.
The Tigers and Irish traded penalty kicks until senior goalkeeper George Marks made a block with his team up four makes to three, leaving the door wide open for Malou. While the implications of the moment were high, Malou remained composed.
“I already knew where I was going to go, so I was just calm, relaxed and just did what I set out to do,” Malou said.
With the victory, Clemson (15-5-2) advances to the national championship match, where they will face No. 2 Washington. The final is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.
No. 8 Clemson advanced to the semifinals after defeating Denver, Kentucky and the top-ranked Oregon State Beavers. Against the No. 4 Fighting Irish, the team struggled to get goals beyond the first 45 minutes.
Clemson midfielder Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador opened up the scoring at the 10:21 mark, sneaking the ball into the top right corner of the goal. Ten minutes later, though, Notre Dame’s Jack Lynn scored the equalizer on a penalty kick, bringing the score to 1-1.
Both teams’ defenses kept their opponents from getting many scoring chances in the first half, with the Tigers getting three shot attempts to the Fighting Irish’s four.
Physicality ramped up in the second half, with both teams fighting for possession in their respective boxes. Notre Dame had a few opportunities at shots in the second half, but was kept out by the Tigers defense on multiple occasions. Marks said the experience of the defensive unit, despite getting away from its initial game plan, helped prevent scores throughout the game.
“Everybody there is such a good individual defender, and as a collective, we’ve played together for so long that we feel pretty good,” Marks said.
With two minutes remaining in regulation, Notre Dame midfielder Mohamed Omar attempted to head-in a shot from close range, but was just off target. Neither team could manage a score for the remainder of the half, and the game went into extra time.
In the first overtime period, Notre Dame took three shots while the Tigers had none. The Irish created opportunities to score but could not convert through the Clemson defense.
Lynn nearly ended the game for the Irish with a score, but Marks came up with a clutch save. He later came rumbling down the field with another shot at a score, but missed it to the right at the 96:47 mark.
No scores were made in either overtime period, as the Tigers went into penalty kicks for the second time in the tournament. For head coach Mike Noonan, he knew his team was prepared to endure the long match.
“We’ve got great strength and conditioning people and people who have put us in a place to play such a long game,” Noonan said.
The team ultimately came out on top after penalty kicks, and are now just one victory away from capturing a national championship.
After a long game and quick turnaround to Sunday’s championship, recovery is a priority for the Tigers.
“We do our very best with our trainers, our doctors, our conditioning people to make sure we get ready for Sunday,” Noonan said.
Clemson’s is making its ninth College Cup appearance and second under Noonan after the Tigers made the national championship game in 2015. The Clemson program has national championship wins in 1984 and 1987.
Clemson men’s soccer in national championships
- 2015: Stanford 4, Clemson 0
- 1987: Clemson 2, San Diego State
- 1984: Clemson 2, Indiana 1
2021 College Cup scores, schedule, how to watch
- Game 1: Clemson defeats Notre Dame 1-1 (5-3 PKs)
- Game 2: Washington defeats Georgetown 2-1
- Game 3: National championship game, Clemson (15-5-2) vs Washington (18-1-2), 2 p.m. Sunday (ESPNU)
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 9:01 PM.